
"The first year has shown impressively that professional football training for young talents can be optimally combined with the individual needs of the children and their families in this way," said Simon Rolfes, Managing Director Sport at Bayer 04. "We will continue to pursue this innovative path consistently. The next logical step is therefore to expand the locations in order to discover and train the best players in these new regions and to retain them at Bayer 04 at an early stage."
Familiarisation training for the Büderich and Wuppertal squads began in September and will take place at the respective locations. The official teams from these two locations will then compete in the 2026/27 season.

About the project Bayer 04-Future Kids:
As part of the project launched in September 2024, Bayer 04 is setting up regional locations for young footballers in the U8 to U10 age groups, where the children will be trained by qualified Bayer 04 coaches. This provides the optimum combination of footballing development of young talents and the individual needs of the children and their families, reduces the time required due to short journeys and significantly increases the quality of training on site. In addition, the concept guarantees a commitment from the club for at least three years up to U10 level in order to create security and reliability for the children and their families.
Further information on the Bayer 04-Future Kids project can be found HERE.
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A simple approach to sport with games, fun and a highlight at the end: Bayer 04 organised a very special training session for 40 participants aged between six and 27 in cooperation with the Football Association of the Middle Rhine (FVM). At the day of action for women and girls with disabilities at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre, many of the participants gained their first experience of football.
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On Saturday, 28 March, the lights will go out again at the BayArena from 20:30 pm to 21:30. As in previous years, Bayer 04 once again take part in the WWF Earth Hour campaign under the motto "We're switching off" as the club wants to set a collective example for more climate and environmental protection together with people, cities and companies around the world.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen are bringing back Kerim Alajbegovic, who joined Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2025. The Bundesliga club activated the buy-back option in the contract with the Bosnia international, who has enjoyed great success at the Austrian top-flight club since the start of the current season. Alajbegovic moved to Salzburg from the Leverkusen U19s last year. The 1.86-metre forward has signed a five-year contract at Leverkusen with a start date of 1 July 2026.
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Less than a year ago, Kerim Alajbegovic moved from the Bayer 04 U19s to Austrian top-flight club FC Red Bull Salzburg. The forward’s development since then has been impressive. In 36 matches, including in the UEFA Europa League, the 18-year-old has scored 14 goals. In the summer, Alajbegovic, now a Bosnia international, will return to Leverkusen - and thus not only achieve the next milestone still early in his career, but also enrich the Werkself squad with his footballing versatility and determination.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with forward Nathan Tella ahead of schedule. The versatile 26-year-old, who can be deployed as a right winger, false nine or left winger, has penned a new contract to 30 June 2031. Tella joined the Werkself from Championship club Southampton in 2023. His previous contract ran to the summer of 2028.
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